Walker: State will help find jobs for displaced Waukesha dairy workers

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Thursday that his administration is committed to helping Waukesha dairy workers get back on the job.

While Walker spoke about the real estate forecast in the state, WISN 12 News asked him about the recent real estate vacancy in Waukesha -- the suddenly closed Golden Guernsey dairy plant.

"We're going to do everything in our power to make sure, ultimately, they get reconnected with other dairy operations," Walker said.

Los Angeles-based OpenGate Capital purchased the dairy in 2011 after an anti-trust lawsuit forced former owner Dean Foods to sell the Waukesha operation.

OpenGate CEO Andrew Nikou said legacy contracts included in the sale forced the group to pay more for milk than it could sell it for.

The Waukesha plant was abruptly closed on Saturday, and the group filed for bankruptcy earlier this week.

"I just want the people of Golden Guernsey to know that this was again something that wasn't by design. I tried," Nikou told WISN 12 News. "I tried to do everything in my power, and my people tried to do everything in our power to keep this business afloat. I apologize for letting the people of Golden Guernsey down."

Walker said he believes the federal government's involvement in an anti-trust involving the dairy suit got in the way of the free market system. He said his administration will work to stay away from the free marketplace.

"Long-term for other employers, we're going to do everything we can to make sure the government doesn't interfere," he said.

More than 100 workers lost their job in the Waukesha plant closing.

OpenGate failed to provide the state with a required 60-day layoff notice and could be forced to provide back pay to workers if the closure was in violation of state law.

Walker said he was confident that the Department of Workforce Development would be able to help the recently displaced workers.

"We're still the dairy state," he said. "We'll still be able to fill the void."

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